Search - Spiral Starecase :: Very Best of

It's Starecase, not Staircase

R. Bautista | Los Angeles, CA USA | 11/15/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is very good if not excellent, but what keeps it from being perfect is the fact that it is still missing alot of the other songs from "More Today Than Yesterday". Sure, Paragon added several of Spiral Starecase's early obscure singles into this CD, in stereo (that is reason enough to buy the CD), but I'm sure many Spiral fans still feel incomplete by not having the other songs from the original Columbia release. For of those of you who want all 11 tracks from More Today Than Yesterday (Columbia CS 9852), there was a CD released by Sony Music Philippines titled "Our Day Will Come... Spiral Starecase Revisited" (1997,catalog number 487703 2). This is the only Spiral Starecase release on CD that I know of that contains all the original tracks from the 1969 LP. In addition, it also includes the same bonus singles that are included in the Paragon release (The Very Best Of). The 11 original tracks do not sound like they were newly remastered like the Paragon tracks, but the bonus tracks sound like they are identical to the Paragon remasters. I do not know if this CD is still available (in the US at least), and I cannot verify its authenticity, but it appears to be the real deal as far as being masters reissued from Sony Music (who owns Columbia by the way). It even contains the complete lyrics to all the songs in the liner notes, which I thought was a very nice touch. In my opinion the tracks could have been remastered a little bit better, but I can live with the sound quality as it is.There is also a Swiss bootleg CD that was released by a company called Green Line Records (1994, catalog number CD-GLP 544). By all means avoid it because the sound quality is just plain awful, besides the fact that the stereo channels were incorrectly swapped during mastering. It was definitely mastered off a vinyl copy, because the pops and ticks are quite obvious in playback. Sony Music Philippines also released a cassette version of More Today Than Yesterday earlier back in 1992 (QCL-S-22160), but I don't know if a CD version was simultaneously released there as well. If you're totally into digging up original out-of-print Spiral releases of More Today Than Yesterday, an 8-track was released by Columbia (18-10-0752), as well as a reel-to-reel (HC 1215). Columbia reissued More Today Than Yesterday in a limited edition LP in the mid-70s under the catalog number LE 10172.I do vinyl LP restoration as a side hobby, and I am currently in the process of archiving my father and grandfather's 5000+ LP collection. More Today Than Yesterday is certainly one of my all-time favorite records. I have been a fan of Spiral's music ever since I was kid when I first heard it on my father's 8-track player. Some music grows on you and eventually you get tired of it, but I can honestly say that I've never grown tired of listening to this music."

The Very Best

Danielle | Burbank, Ca USA | 10/30/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"How could I not love this cd? I grew up singing "More Today Than Yesterday" and "Broken Hearted Man"....after all, Pat Upton happens to be my daddy. There are songs on this CD that I didnt even know exist. If anyone is interested....Pat Upton has another recording, by Lynnwood Music, called Then and Now. And incase you are wondering...his voice is still awesome!"

Meager track count; superb production

Zub | Forks Twp., PA | 01/28/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A relatively short-lived group, Spiral Starecase nee Fydallions, managed to see three of their releases crack the top 100 but are essentially relegated to one-hit wonder status with their top-20 "More Today Than Yesterday". Taragon Records has gathered up those three singles along with some non-charting sides and album cuts to present this "very best of" collection. While the CD lives up to its title, if a criticism had to be leveled here it would be that there are only ten tracks total on this CD. That's less than what would often be found on a typical lp, never mind a CD collection. This issue aside, the production is excellent, as has come to be expected from Taragon. All tracks are in stereo and have been taken from the original session tapes, save track ten which was taken from the original stereo mixdown master. The four-page liner notes booklet contains a page of backround on the group as well as production credits and a discography. An excellent, if bare-bones track count-wise, collection from this group representing bouncy late 60s pop at its best."